Alzheimer Society of Laval to Celebrate 20th Anniversary with Family Event in the Park

RATING: 5/5

BY: Valentina Basilicata

Tuesday, June 02, 2015

RATE THIS:

The Alzheimer Society of Laval
announced it will host a family day celebration on August 22, 2015 at Parc De Lausanne
in Vimont to celebrate its twentieth anniversary.

At a press conference held June 1, Lise
Lalande, executive director of the Alzheimer Society of Laval, unveiled a joint
venture with the mayor of Laval and select city councilors.

The co-presidents of the event are
Paolo Galati, representative for Saint-Vincent-de-Paul as well as David De Cotis,
representative for St-Bruno.

In his speech to media, Mayor Marc
Demers stated: “I am very proud of David and Paolo’s initiative, and of them
having agreed to help Ms. Lalande.”

During the press conference, the mayor
hinted the city was planning a second funding project for the Alzheimer Society
of Laval in early 2016. No details were
given.

“We are proud of the work accomplished
by the Alzheimer Society of Laval. We will do everything possible to support
them,” said Demers.

De Cotis is dedicated to the cause,
too. He has been passionate about
improving his city, and giving back to the residents of Laval throughout his
career at city hall. Fundraising for
Alzheimer’s is his most recent philanthropic undertaking. He is
"absolutely" looking forward to attending the festivities in August.

“This disease affects women and men of
all races and social classes,” said De Cotis.

He added: “As elected officials, our citizens
have given us the honour and responsibility of running their city. We now want to give back to the people of
Laval by supporting important causes like the Alzheimer Society of Laval.”

Galati’s connection to the event is
personal. His grandmother, now deceased,
struggled with Alzheimer’s. His aunt, whom
he affectionately calls his second mother, is currently battling the disease.

“At no time can you leave this person
[with Alzheimer’s] alone. You don’t know where they are going to go or what
they are going to do,” said Galati. “It
really takes a toll on the family members.”

Galati added: “To have something like
the Alzheimer Society of Laval where you are able to bring your loved one and
know you can have a couple of hours of peace of mind… is so important. It’s a support system that is so needed.”

The goal of the event is to raise both
awareness and money for the not-for-profit organization, which relies heavily on
donations and fundraisers to cover up to 40 percent of its budget.

“We need money to function. We are in deficit,” explained Lalande.

Getting people to donate to the cause
isn’t always easy. There are several
competing charities that get more attention.

“Alzheimer’s is not a cause that is so
sexy. People don’t really understand the
tragedy for the family that the disease brings,” explained Lalande.

There are 10,000 people of all ages
and races with Alzheimer’s in Laval.

Family members are often left assisting
victims of the disease with day-to-day living for many years, sometimes decades. The task is physically taxing and emotionally
draining.

The Alzheimer Society of Laval offers
relief to these families and independence to patients. Since 1995, the society and its 45 employees
have offered services including counseling, support groups, respite care and a
long term care facility. According to Lalande,
the residents are made to feel as autonomous as possible.

“They participate in doing activities
like they would do if they were living at home.
What else is life if it’s not doing your own things? ” she said. “We don’t look at what they can’t do. We look at what they can do.”

The family day event will make it
possible for Lalande and her team to keep providing vital services to residents
of Laval. Families are welcome at the
park from 1 p.m. to 8.pm. Some of the
activities will include outdoor shows, inflatable games, fire truck tours,
animation by the Cosmodome and concession stands. Many sponsors are on board. Among them are big names like BMW Laval, Groupe
Kloda Focus, Utopia Image and Laval Families Magazine. Many more sponsors will
be announced in the following weeks.

Alexei
Gusan is a marketing manager at BMW Laval. He says the dealership quickly
jumped on board with the event because it believes in giving back to the local
community and helping families.

“Each year we support a lot of causes. This is
actually one of the largest ones for this year,” said Gusan.

Archie Cifelli of Groupe Kloda Focus is
equally passionate. He knows all too
well the impact an organization like the Alzheimer Society of Laval can have on
families.

Cifelli revealed: “My mom passed away
from Alzheimer’s. She had it for 21
years.”

Still, Cifelli admits he never thought
to seek services in his own neighbourhood because he didn’t know such an
organization existed.

He’s proud to be participating as a
partner for the family day event. He is
hopeful the upcoming festivities will acquaint many more Laval residents with the
services available in their own backyard.

“It’s a matter of bringing awareness,” he noted. “We are all seeking help on the Montreal side
when we have an amazing institution right here.”